Developmental Life Tasks Chapter 2 Erik Erikson

~People must modify their personalities in order to adjust successfully to their social environments ~Begins in childhood ~A child’s success in the early stages depends largely on their parents ~An ongoing process that is never final

Psychosocial Development Theory  Psychosocial development theory is based on eight stages of development  Erikson’s theory is based on the idea that development through life is a series of stages which are each defined by a crisis or challenge  The early stages provide the foundations for later stages so Erikson says that if a child does not resolve a crisis in a particular stage, they will have problems in later stages  For example, if an adolescent does not establish their own identity, they will have difficulty in relationships as an adult

Trust vs. Mistrust Infancy to one year old Trust o Respond quickly o Holding o Cuddling o Playing o Talking to them o Love them o Care for them Mistrust o Receive inconsistent care o Receive little love and attention o Fear and suspicion toward the world and everyone

Autonomy vs. Shame Toddler 1 to 3 year olds AUTONOMY is…  Develop a sense of independence  Developing minds of their own  SAYING NO!  Allow children to practice new motor skills, want to do everything themselves  Let them practice life skills and make simple choices  Gives a sense that they can control their own behaviour and their environment  Builds confidence  They will look forward to meeting greater challenges

Autonomy vs. Shame 1 to 3 year olds SHAME is…  Not allowing children to do things for themselves  Doubt their abilities  Always criticizing and scolding children for not being perfect  Question their worth and their abilities to control themselves and their world.  View themselves and the world in shame and doubt.

Initiative vs. Guilt Preschool 3 to 5 year olds Initiative is…  Often initiate activities  Spend time imagining what they want to do, then think of ways to do those things.  Children need to know their ideas, questions, and concepts matter to others  Children need chances to create play ideas and put them into action

Initiative vs. Guilt 3 to 5 year olds Guilt is…  Parents scold instead encourage  Children’s play ideas are not praised  Belittle and ridicule children  Punishing children for acting on their ideas  No encouragement to think or be creative  Parents convey to children that their ideas are not valuable or worthwhile  The child will feel less confident

Industry vs. Inferiority School-age 5 to 12 years  Children capable of deductive reasoning  Learn to follow rules  Become interested in how things are made, how they work, and what they do  Parents are no longer the only influence on stages; friends are also

Industry  Having the capacity to make a productive effort. What parents can do:  Encourage children to do, make, or build projects  Stress the importance of seeing a task through to completion  Praise and reward them for their efforts

Inferiority  Feel incapable of succeeding in their efforts  Discouraged from doing and making things on their own  Not praised for their accomplishments,  Don’t feel like they can do anything right.  May passively accept failure or misbehave to compensate

Identity vs. Role Confusion Adolescence 12 to 18/20 years  Adolescents develop a sense of who they are and what they can do.  They begin to figure out where they want to go in the future.  Without these goals and visions, teens are likely to see role confusion; an uncertainty about one’s place in society and the world.  Also known as ‘identity crisis’ – Who am I?